Elementary School News

Rapid Growth Continues Throughout the MRH Communities

The cities of Richmond Heights and Maplewood continue to attract new families, as the MRH School District prepares for an ever-increasing number of students.

That was the overriding topic recently at a rare but informative dinner meeting comprising the elected leaders of Maplewood and Richmond Heights, and administrators of the Maplewood Richmond Heights School District.

Maplewood Mayor Barry Greenberg divulged that currently, eight new homes are under construction in the city, a sure sign that more future MRH students are on the way.

In Richmond Heights, Mayor Jim Thomson said multiple new single- and multi-family dwellings are under construction throughout his community. Thomson said he personally greets all new families living in his city, and in each instance, they cite the quality of the school district as their top reason for locating in Richmond Heights.

There were other topics of regional interest, outlined by Mayor Greenberg:

- He will be meeting on October 22 with representatives from Great Rivers Greenway to discuss safety needs at three major intersections where GRG is hoping to expand a recreational trail.

- Greenberg touted the opening of the city's new skate park at Bredell and Lohmeyer, just west of the MRH High School. The city is also exploring the purchase of proper helmets for skaters.

- At city hall, an executive search firm will be selected soon to identify a successor to recently retired city manager Marty Corcoran.

- Infrastructure and payroll costs continue to rise, which has prompted the city to defer purchases of two needed fire trucks.

- Assessed property values are on the rise, a good sign for the school district's coffers but not necessarily for economically distressed families.

Mayor Thomson outlined several major items related to Richmond Heights:

- The $8 million renovation of The Heights community center is mostly on schedule, with the possibility of the swimming pool reopening by the first of the year.

- Paving of the surface of Big Bend Boulevard between Manchester Road and Dale Avenue finally begins this month.

- An effort is under way to create a marker for the historic Old Lincoln School district.

In a surprise move, Mayor Thomson presented Kaufmann with a Richmond Heights City Council resolution congratulating MRH for ranking among the top 15 school systems in Missouri.

The meeting was also attended by nearly every member of the councils of both Richmond Heights and Maplewood.

The Maplewood Richmond Heights School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, sexual orientation and/or perceived sexual orientation, or genetic information in its programs and activities.